Journal lubricating device



NUV- 14, 1951 J. R. MCGRATH 3,008,780

JOURNAL LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed April 7, 1958 United States Patent Oiliee 3,008,780 Patented Nov.y 14, 1961 Illinois Filed Apr. 7, 1958, Ser. No. 726,772 6 Claims. (Cl. 308-243) The present invention relates generally to the lubrication of railroad car axles and more particularly to a lubricating device adapted to be fitted in a conventional railroad journal box for lubricating the axle journal.

One of the most pressing problems of modern railroad operation has been the development of a suitable substitute for the Waste which has been long used for lubricating axle journals in the journal boxes of a majority of operating railroad cars. Waste has never been an ideal lubricating expedient because of many factors, not the least of which is the tendency to cause hot boxes, but the economy and convenience of Waste has dictated its use, even to the present day.

Changing railroad operating standards have now compelled the roads to abandon waste, and the tremendous resulting need has caused a large number of substitute lubricating devices to be offered for test. Heretofore, no one of these devices has combined operating effectiveness with sufficient e-conomy to become a serious contender for being the standard waste replacing expedient.

Accordingly, it is the primary aim of the present invention to provide a railroad journal box lubricating device that effectively supplies oil to the axle journal and is exceptionally economical tomanufacture, bein-g made up of inexpensive components which may be easily formed and quickly assembled without special skill or equipment.

It is, moreover, an object of the invention to provide a lubricating device as characterized above that combines a large wicking capacity with substantial resilience, so that sufficient oil is deposited on the axle journal despite movement of the journal and variations in the journal diameter. In more detail, it is an object to provide a device of this type that employs effective spongy wicking components but which relieves these components of the necessity of also performing the resilient positioning function required to keep the device in contact with the axle journal.

It is a further object to provide a device as described above that is capable of functioning effectively at extremely low temperatures despite the tendency of spongy wicking materials to become stiff and inflexible.

It is also `an object to provide a lubricating device as described above that readily retains a supply of oil even under lthe jolting conditions encountered when the axle bounces from its overlying bearing. It is a related object to provide a device of the above type that does not overheat despite its constant frictional contact with a rotating axle journal.

It is another object to provide a lubricating device having the above characteristics which may be quickly and easily installed in a journal box, and readily removed therefrom when replacement is necessary.

'Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view through the end of a conventional railroad journal box showing a lubricating device embodying the invention positioned Within the box;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lubricating device shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bag or surrounding cover forming a part of the device shown in FIG. l.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, l intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included Within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning rst to FIG. l, there is shown a conventional railroad journal box 10 having a lower oil sump portion 11 and containing a bearing structure 12 which rests on the journal 13 of a railroad car axle. Fitted into the journal box 10 and operating to supply ol to the journal 13 is a lubricating device 15 embodying the present invention.

In carrying out the invention, the lubricating device 15 includes a porous bag defining a pocket into which blocks of spongy material forming a plurality of superimposed layers are fitted, with the intermediate layers having spaced series of recesses containing slightly compressed springs which are effective to resiliently expand the pocket. In the preferred embodiment, a one-piece bag 20 is provided containing two spaced pockets 21 and 22, and each of the pockets is snugly filled with identical sponge block-and-spring assemblies 23 and 24, respectively. The 4bag 20 is formed of a porous wicking material, preferably cotton terry-knit or chenille. Any other suitable porous material which is effective to provide a wicking action may, of course, be used.

The bag 20 may be conveniently manufactured by folding the opposite ends 21a, 22a of a strip of material inwardly to `define the pockets 21, 22 as illustrated in FIG. 4. The sides of the material are then stitched at 25 and 26, and the unit turned inside out so as to dispose the side seams inwardly of the pockets.

Each of the sponge block and spring assemblies 23, 24 are identical and, therefore, While only the assembly 24 in the pocket 22 will be discussed in detail, it will be understood that the assembly 23 'in pocket 21 is similarly constructed and arranged.

In order to give dimensional s-tability to the pocket 22 and prevent the ylubricating device 15 from being rolled up when dn rubbing contact with the rotating axle, the preferred embodiment of the assembly 24 includes a stilfener strip 31 which extends substantially the width and length of the pocket Z2. The stn'p 31 may be advantageously formed of open cell, foamed neoprene which is flexibly resilient but which has substantial body or stiffness. As stated, the presence of the stilfener strip 31 prevents the rapidly rotating journal 13 from rolling or curling the pocket 22 and its assembly 24 into a compressed cylindrical shape.

In the illustrated embodiment, the outer layers of spongy material in the assembly 24 are formed by a block 32 of open cell, porous material folded about one edge of stiffener strip 31. A tapered cross sectional shape is given to the pocket 22 by interposing a second folded block 33 of spongy material about the opposite edge of the strip 31 and between the strip and the end portions 35, 36 of the folded block 32. It will be understood that the tapered or tear-drop shape given the pocket 22 in cross section permits the latter to 'fit more readily into the confines of the journal box 10.

It will lalso be seen that the intermediate portion 34 of the folded block 33 forms an effective wicking conduit for carrying oil upwardly about` the strip 31 'and to the journal 13.

For resiliently expanding the pocket 22, a plurality of lightly compressed helical springs 40 are fitted into recesses formed in the assembly 24 so as to bear on the opposed surfaces of the folded block end portions 35, 36. In order -to provide recesses for the springs 40, the stiiener strip 31 and the block 33 are formed with a series of holes 41 and 42, 43, respectively, which are in. alignment and into which lare fitted the springs 4t).

While it will be appreciated that the sponge blocks 32 and 33 may be formed of any porous, open cell material which will perform an oil wicking function, a particularly effective material for this purpose is the expanded foam plastic formed by foaming a polyurethane resin. Simply as an example, a suitable polyurethane foam can be produced by reacting controlled portions of a suitable plasticized polyester resin, such as that produced from 'adipic acid and diethylene glycol, with toluyl di-isocyanate in the presence of a suitable catalyst and some free water. Foaming may be induced by bubbling air, steam, canbon dioxide and/ or certain other inert gases through the reacting plastic mass.

A polyurethane foam of this type will not support combustion, has a high tear strength enabling it to support the springs 40 without rupturing, and has been found to exhibit `a uniform, rapid recovery rate following compression despite extremely high or low temperatures.

It is contemplated that the springs 40 be formed of brass since this material is softer than the steel making up the axle journal 13 and would not score or otherwise damage the journal in the event the device 15 becomes torn and the axle is driven [against an exposed spring.

It is important to note that in the assembly 24 the required functions of oil wicking and positioning resilience are divided between distinct parts of the assembly. Performing the wicking function of lifting oil from the journal box sump 11 to the journal 13 are the sponge blocks 32, 33 and the material from which the pocket 22 is formed. To provide the required resilience for positioning the pocket 22 firmly against the journal 13, the series of springs 40 are relied upon. lf spongy material is relied upon to both wick and provide the necessary resilience, a larger block of more highly compressed spongy material would be required, and a unit of this type having its openicells contracted would be much less efficient in wicking oil to the journal. By relying upon the springs 40 to resiliently position the pocket 22, the sponge blocks are able to more effectively lubricate the journal.

Because the normal resilience of the spongy material making up the blocks 32, 33 is not relied upon to maintain lubricating contact with the journal, it can be seen that the device 15 will function effectively at extremely low or high temperatures despite the effect of the extreme temperature on the block material. Even at low temperatures, the springs 40 are effective to expand the assemblies 23, 24 and maintain contact with the journal 13 so that the material forming the bag 20 can wick oil thereto. As soon as the railroad car begins moving, the friction between the rotating journal and the device 15 warms the blocks 32, 33 land they again assume their normal soft, resilient state and become effective to perform their wicking functions.

It is a feature of the invention that the holes 41-43 not only provide recesses for the springs 40 but also function as cooling passages and oil retaining reservoirs for the lubricating device 15. To assist in these functions, another series of spaced openings 4S are formed in the stiifener strip 31. As to the cooling functions performed by the holes 41-43 and 45, it will be appreciated that the lubricating device 15, when in operation, is in constant [rubbing contact with the rapidly rotating journal 13. The resulting friction generates heat which would tend to build up to dangerous limits in a solid, oil-soaked block the size of the pocket 22. However, bly providing the holes 41-43, 45 in the strip 31 and the block 33, internal circulation in the open spaces created are effective to prevent dangerous temperatures from being reached within the pocket.

It will also be understood that in normal operation axle journals have been known to bounce or jump from their overlying bearings as much as an inch or so when a rapidly moving railroad car strikes track imperfections, or the brakes of the car are applied, etc. It will be seen that when the journal 13 jumps from the bearing 12 it will sharply strike the oil saturated pockets 21, 22 of the lubricating device 15 so as to squeeze the oil from the saturated blocks 32, 33. The internal open spaces provided by the holes 41-43 and the series of holes 45 provide reservoirs into which the oil cornpressed from the surrounding blocks may immediately ow, where it can be quickly re-absorbed by the sponge blocks when the journal 13 resumes its proper position under the bearing structure 12. In other words, cornpressing one of the oil-soaked pockets 21, 22 does not expel the oil contained therein, but rather a substantial amount of the lubricant is simply temporarily stored in the internal spaces provided by the holes 41-43 and 45, so that it can be immediately absorbed by the surrounding sponge blocks and utilized to lubrioate the journal.

In order to seal the individual pockets 21, 22 as well as provide a convenient handle for the lubricating device 15, reinforcing strips 51, 52 are secured on opposite sides of the central portion of the bag 20, dividing the bag into its two pocket portions 21, 22 and sealing the openings of the pockets. Preferably, the strips 51, 52 are simply stitched into place when the device 15 is assembled. In order to provide -a handle for the device l15, the strips 51, 52 are extended at one end to define a tongue portion 53, and an eyelet 54 is secured yat the end of the tongue portion. The eyelet 54 makes it convenient to hook the tongue 53 and' pull the lubricating device out of the journal box when replacement is necessary.

For the purpose of accurately positioning the device 15 in the journal box, the strips 51, 52 are extended at the rear or inner end of the device to form Ia positioning tab 55. The tab 55 extends stiffly from the device and abuts the back wall of the journal box 10 when the device 15 is in operating position. This keeps the oilsoaked pockets 21, 22 out of contact with the oil seal (not shown) conventionally installed about the axle to prevent oil leakage from the journal box. Since the pockets yare positively spaced from the oil seal, the device 15 is prevented from depositing oil directly onto the seal which would, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, greatly increase the likelihood of oil leakage through the seal.

It will be seen that the lubricating device 15 is extremely economical to manufacture. The bag 20 is simply a rectangular sheet of material folded and sewn along two lines 25, 26. The sponge blocks 32, 33 may also be readily cut from sheets of the desired material with the holes 42, 43 being easily punched therein. The stiiener strip 31 is likewise a flat piece which may be easily formed from sheets of the desired material. The springs 40 are standard in configuration and may be economically manufactured.

.Assembly is quite simple and may be performed without special skills or equipment. The parts making up the assemblies 23, 24 are simply fitted together in sandwich form and inserted into their respective pockets 21, 22 whereupon the reinforcing strips 51, 52 are laid in place and sewn into position so as to complete the assembly ofthe device.

It has also been found that the device 15 can be very quickly installed. When installing lubricating devices of this nature, it is normal practice to immerse them in lubricating oil 'before they are tted in the journal box. It has been found that the device 15 will absorb approximately 31/,2` times 4its weight of on in the matter of .a few minutes, whereupon the soaked device may be simply fitted as a unit into the journal box beneath the axle journal.

Since the strips 31 give longitudinal stiffness to the pockets 21, 22, they can be readily slid into position without crumpling In the above descrpition, and in the following claims, the term spongy is used in its broad dictionary sense as meaning Of the nature of, or like, a sponge; absorbent; imbibitory; of an open loose pliable texture; It will be appreciated that the essential characteristic desired is an ability to perform the wicking function of carrying oil to the journal. Thus, a wool bat or a felted wool pad could be utilized to form the sponge blocks 32, 33 and such materials may be accurately described as spongy.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device for lubricating an axle journal in a railroad journal box having two units, one of said units comprising, in combination, a porous bag formed of wicking material and defining a closed pocket, blocks of spongy material defining a plurality of superimposed layers fitted snugly in said pocket, said blocks having a spaced series of recesses extending between but not through the top and bottom layers of said plurality, and a helical spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly compressed so as to resiliently expand said pocket, said springs thus being effective to resist deformation of said bag when it is fitted into a journal box, and said spongy blocks being effective to wick oil to an axle journal.

2, In a device for lubricating an axle journal in a railroad journal box, the combination comprising a porous bag formed of wicking material and defining a closed pocket, blocks of open cell foamed plastic defining a plurality of superimposed layers fitted snugly in said pocket, said blocks having a spaced series of recesses extending between but not through the top and bottom layers of said plurality, and a brass helical spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly -compressed so as to resiliently expand said pocket, said springs thus being effective to resist deformation of said bag when it is fitted into a journal box, and said spongy blocks being effective to wick oil to an axle journal.

3. In a device for lubricating an axle journal in a rail road journal box, the combination comprising a porous bag formed of a wicking material and defining a closed pocket, a stiffener strip of foamed neoprene and a block of foamed polyurethane folded -about the strip fitted snugly in said pocket, intermediate layers of foamed polyurethane lying between the end portions of said folded block and said stif'fener strip so as to impart a tapered cross section to said bag, Said intermediate l-ayers and said stiffener strip having aligned openings defining a spaced series of recesses between the opposed surfaces of said folded block,

and a helical brass spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly compressed so as to resiliently expand said pocket.

4. A device for lubricating an axle journal in a railroad journal box comprising, in combination, a one-piece bag formed of porous wicking material defining a pair of spaced pockets having adjacent opposed closed openings, blocks of spongy material defining la plurality of superimposed layers fitted snugly in each of said pockets, said blocks having a spaced series of recesses extending between but not through the top and bottom layers of said plurality, a helical spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly compressed so as to resilient-ly expand said pockets, and a reinforcing strip secured to said bag between said pockets and over said adjacent openings so as to close the same, said reinforcing strip having one end extending beyond said bag so as to define a handle portion.

5. In a device for lubricating an axle journal in a railroad journal box having two units, one of said units comprising, in combination, a porous bag formed of wicking material and defining a tubular pocket, blocks of spongy material defining a plurality of superimposed layers fitted snugly in said pocket, said blocks having a spaced series of recesses extending up to but not through the top layer of said plurality, and a helical spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly compressed so as to resiliently expand said pocket, said springs thus being effective to resist deformation of said bag when it is fitted into a journal box, and said spongy blocks being effective to wick oil to an axle journal.

6. In a device for lubricating an axle journal in a railroad journal box, the combination comprising, a porous bag formed of wicking material and defining a tubular pocket, blocks of open cell foamed plastic defining a plurality of superimposed layers Ifitted snugly in said pocket, said blocks having a spaced series of recesses extending up to but not through the top layer of said plurality, and a helical spring fitted into each of said recesses and being slightly compressed so as to resiliently expand said pocket, said springs thus being effective to resist de-formation of said bag when it is fitted into a journal box, and said spongy blocks being effective to wick oil to an axle journal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 91,000 Devlan Iune 8, 1869 2,044,248 Keys Iune 16, 1936 2,446,775 Marsack Aug. 10, 1948 2,762,665 Harkenri-der Sept. 11, 1956 2,762,667 Harkenrider Sept. 11, 1956 2,807,803 Rockwell Sept. 24, 1957 2,878,081 Sale Mar. 17, 1959 

